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Full Idea
There was moral progress in the ancient Greek world, notably to the extent that the idea of areté, human excellence, was freed to some extent from determination by social position.
Clarification
'Areté' normally translates as either 'virtue' or 'excellence'
Gist of Idea
Greek moral progress came when 'virtue' was freed from social status
Source
Bernard Williams (Shame and Necessity [1993], I - p.7)
Book Ref
Williams,Bernard: 'Shame and Necessity' [California 1994], p.7
| 4317 | We judge weakness of will by an assessment after the event is concluded [Williams,B, by Cottingham] |
| 2169 | Greek moral progress came when 'virtue' was freed from social status [Williams,B] |
| 2172 | The modern idea of duty is unknown in archaic Greece [Williams,B] |
| 2174 | Responsibility involves cause, intention, state of mind, and response after the event [Williams,B] |
| 2176 | There is only a problem of free will if you think the notion of 'voluntary' can be metaphysically deepened [Williams,B] |
| 2175 | There is a problem of evil only if you expect the world to be good [Williams,B] |
| 2180 | If reason cannot lead people to good, we must hope they have an internal voice [Williams,B] |
| 2178 | In bad actions, guilt points towards victims, and shame to the agent [Williams,B] |
| 2179 | If the moral self is seen as characterless, then other people have a very limited role in our moral lives [Williams,B] |
| 2181 | It is an absurd Kantian idea that at the limit rationality and freedom coincide [Williams,B] |